C-3-4 (General Business Visit) Korea Visa Guide | 2026

1. What C-3-4 Is

C-3-4 is the general business subtype of the short-term visit (C-3) status. If you are coming to Korea for meetings, negotiations, market research or to sign a contract, this is the code — not C-3-8, which is the overseas Korean visit (동포방문), and not C-3-9, which is general tourism.

2. Eligibility Checklist

• Purpose is business activity: market research, business liaison, consultation, contract signing, or small-scale trading.
• Alternatively, holds an APEC Business Travel Card and is entering without a visa.
• The activity is NOT remunerated work performed for a Korean institution — dispatched work under a service or project contract falls outside C-3 scope entirely, even when paid from abroad, and needs C-4 or D-9.
• There is a documented route for established repeat visitors: having entered on short-term visit (C-3) status three or more times since the fingerprint system was introduced on 2012-01-01, with no illegal stay or other offence during those stays, and holding an invitation from a Korean company.
• Can evidence financial support for the visit and return or onward intent.

3. Criteria Summary

• C-3-4 is not a points-based category.
• Review is purpose-credibility driven with strong focus on document consistency.
• Using C-3-4 for out-of-scope activity is a frequent refusal trigger.
• Always verify current C-3 subtype boundaries before filing.

4. Salary and Contract Rules

• C-3-4 does not use long-stay employment salary-threshold logic.
• Ordinary paid employment generally requires a different work-authorized status.
• If invitation/contract documents are submitted, they must support temporary permitted activity only.
• Unclear role or compensation language can trigger enhanced scrutiny.

5. Employer and Workplace Change Rules

• C-3-4 is not a standard employer-sponsored work status.
• Stay is tied to the declared temporary purpose and evidence submitted.
• Material changes in activity scope after issuance may require authority confirmation.
• Repeated short-stay entries can raise de facto work/long-stay concerns.

6. Required Documents

• Visa application form, passport, photograph, and the fee.
• Invitation letter from the Korean company. For the repeat-visitor route the manual requires it to state the REASON for the invitation and to include a written undertaking guaranteeing your return.
• Copy of the inviter's identification document.
• Business-purpose evidence appropriate to the activity — meeting arrangements, contract or negotiation documents, and similar.
• Financial support documents for the stay period.

7. Fees and Processing

• On the repeat-visitor route the manual specifies the terms: stay of up to 90 days, visa validity of 3 months, issued SINGLE-ENTRY.
• Processing time varies by mission workload and case profile.
• Purpose-document ambiguity often leads to supplement requests.
• Apply with practical lead time before departure.

8. Common Rejection Reasons

• Purpose does not clearly satisfy C-3-4 scope requirements.
• Supporting evidence is inconsistent, weak, or unverifiable.
• Financial/return-intent proof is insufficient for profile risk.
• Application appears to require another visa/status category.
• Filing relies on outdated C-3 subtype assumptions after guidance updates.

9. FAQ